Pakistan started aggressively, which was a surprise. But again, their coach did say that they were planning to keep the Indian side quiet as he thought India was trying to play the Australian style of play, by finishing of the match early, which is something they didn’t want.
Pakistan did play an attacking game throughout the tournament. They have a young side and they do want to score goals and play attacking hockey.
India did not really step back. It was end-to-end stuff in the early minutes. Both teams had their chances. Pakistan had a goal disallowed early, that was turned into a penalty corner which was saved.
India had a few chances, which they did not convert. Mandeep, Karthi and Gurjant all missed chances. Once the nerves got settled, India progressively kept getting better and by the fourth quarter it was in control. It was a combination of superior planning, fitness and experience.
For Pakistan, except for their captain, they don’t have anyone to switch gears and step up and make decisions. They were dependant on the coaches and that is where they lagged.
Positives for Pakistan
Their forward line was really good. Their team is new and young. Any game, any result will be a new learning. Even through this tournament, they have shown a lot of improvement.
They haven’t scored that many goals. But they have been able to get in there and breach the defence of most teams. Abdul Hanan Shahid, who has been rated highly, was good. Abdul Rana and Afraz are also equally good.
They have the potential and they want to learn, which I see as a good sign.
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